Ghosty Tea
by FelouisDurstinson
Summary: More cases, more danger and more Naru. What more could Mai want? A continuation of the anime, enjoy.
1. Chapter 1

"Naru," Mai whispered into the darkness. She had lost her only hope of getting through this case alive when she realized that Naru was not coming to save her. Her narcissistic boss couldn't hear her cries of protest in the dark and damp basement that she had gotten herself stuck in. It was all her own fault for running off alone when Naru had specifically told her not to go anywhere by herself. She sat crouched in the corner of what seemed to be the basement of the creepy old hospital. She cringed inwardly when droplets of what she hoped was water began to rain down on her from above. Mai wanted to cry; it was dark and musty, and she was having troubles breathing in the mold laden air. She didn't know exactly where she was or what had decided to lead her there. She was more than a little scared to say the least. She felt like a little kid again waiting for her mom to come back and knowing deep inside that her mom was never coming back. She hadn't felt so alone in quite some time. Her scattered thoughts were brought to an abrupt halt when she heard the pitter patter of footsteps sloshing through water. An inkling of hope burrowed in her chest at the thought of a swift and painless rescue. Surely, someone must have noticed her absence and had come to find her and bring her back to safety.

"Hello?... Is anyone there?... Naru? Lin? Monk?... Anyone?..." She practically shouted into the darkness that surrounded her.

The fleeting hope of a savior soon left her when she came to the conclusion that whoever or whatever was down there with her was surely no friend. She began to panic, her brain switching into overdrive thinking of all the gruesome possibilities those footsteps could entail. Her breathing grew spastic and she grew lightheaded. 'Calm down, Mai!' She silently berated herself. She would never get out of this situation in one piece if she continued to grow frantic like she was. She needed a game plan. She was having difficulties trying to think straight around her fear and hysteria, though. Just before she could begin to piece together what to do to get herself out of this mess she felt rather than saw something approach her. She opened her mouth to scream in protest but before the screech could rip from her throat she received a blow to her head just above her right eye. She felt blood trickle down the side of her face. She didn't even have time to register the pain before she blacked out into her blissful dream world.

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*Three Days ago. 7:00 am. Case #1*

"Mai, we're leaving with or without you." Naru's monotonous voice came from the front of the van he was climbing into.

Mai retaliated by sticking her tongue out at her handsome boss before running to the van. She plopped into the front seat next to Naru just as Lin had started the engine. Mai sighed tiredly, thinking about how crappy her luck was that she had to get up so early on a Saturday. She yawned broadly and leaned her head against the passenger side window. Already beginning to be lulled to sleep by the feel of the engine. She cast a quick glance at Naru to find that he had already delved into their next case. Reading the file on the history of the century old hospital. The hospital was a couple of hours away giving Mai the perfect opportunity to catch up on some much needed sleep. She found herself having difficulties falling asleep though, when she couldn't stop thinking about the hospital they were heading to. Mai thought it sounded interesting, she was just happy they finally had a case after weeks of slow business. She grinned in anticipation just thinking about how the client had described the hospital.

_Mai looked up from her filing when she heard the bell above the door chime in the other room. She stopped filing and quickly made her way to the other room where a young man stood awkwardly waiting for someone to acknowledge his existence. _

_"Hello," she chimed. "Welcome to Shibuya Psychic Research. My name is Taniyama, Mai. Do you have an appointment with Shibuya-san?" She asked._

_He looked up from his vigil by the door and grinned at her, his face brightening. He appeared to be in his late teens. He was tall with green eyes the color of antifreeze and shoulder length black hair which he swept back with a flick of his hand. Mai had to admit he was gorgeous. He could give Naru a run for his money in the looks department. _

_"Ah, hello. I am Aburame, Shinji. Pleased to meet you Taniyama-san. I do not, most unfortunately, have an appointment. I was kind of hoping I could get help with something though. A friend of mine recommended this place. Is there any way I could talk to your boss though, cutie?" He said with a shrug and a wink which made Mai blush a bit at the slight flirting. _

_"Sure thing. Let me go get him. Take a seat he should be right out." She cheerily told him as she made her way to Naru's personal office. _

_She knocked briefly and without waiting for an answer, opened the door and stuck her head in the door. _

_"Hey, Naru." She called. "There is a client waiting for you out here. I'm going to go make some tea." _

_She stood waiting for a reply she knew wouldn't come taking this opportunity to openly stare at her narcissistic boss. He looked up after a few seconds noting that she was still there. _

_"Are you done staring at me, Mai? If so, I'd suggest getting back to work." He said in the tone of voice that made her want to hit him. _

_She grumbled to herself as she made her way out the door to the kitchen to make tea. As she started the water on the stove and got the cups out of the cabinet she heard Naru exit his lair. She sighed and unconsciously fixed her hair and flattened out the wrinkles in her uniform. She quickly placed the cups of tea on a tray and unceremoniously brought it out to Naru and the new client. She handed Naru his first then offered a cup to Shinji, who took it and said his thanks with a bright smile. She took her seat opposite Naru and opened up her notebook to take notes for the mysteriously absent Lin._

_Shinji and Naru appeared to appraise each other for a moment before Shinji spoke. _

_"I assume that you are Shibuya-san?" He asked. _

_"I am. How can I help you?" Came Naru's curt reply. _

_If Shinji was surprised at Naru's age he certainly didn't show it. He merely nodded and began to tell of his situation. _

"_Yes, well I am Aburame Shinji and you see, I am here for my father. He recently bought an old hospital in hopes of fixing it up and reopening it as a functioning hospital, of course. Many people attempted to sway him from his investment by telling him it was haunted by former doctors and patients. My father has a no nonsense personality and doesn't have time for such silly rumors as he called them. He did not heed their warnings and began construction on the building around six months ago. Immediately after we began strange phenomenon began occurring." Shinji paused to collect his thoughts and take a sip of tea. He swiped his hand through his hair yet again and continued on._

"_My father is a foolish man for not listening to what the others tried to tell him. He refused to believe and it is for that reason that he is currently in the hospital. But, before I begin to explain that, I must tell you about how it all began. It started as workers refusing to go into the basement because they claimed to see horrible spirits and ghosts. My father did not believe them, of course. I, myself, have seen spirits wandering around the corridors where the old nurse's aid station used to be. We all assumed these were friendly entities that meant us no harm and this was the case until construction began near the aid station. The day we started knocking walls down was when they started to get violent. Beginning with little things like hair being pulled from behind and nobody being there and being pinched and poked. But then one day out of nowhere a buzz saw was turned on without being plugged in and it chased a man down the hallway. He is currently sitting in the hospital with severe gashes along his arms. We managed to stop the buzz saw before it could do too much damage though. Then about two weeks ago a man was repairing windows outside on a ladder when he suddenly screamed in terror, lost his balance and fell to the ground pretty hard. He most unfortunately did not make it" Shinji paused again to take another drink. Mai had visibly blanched at the thought of the poor man who had died due to these threatening spirits._

"_Many of the workers decided to quit after the incident and my father was distraught. He began to grow distant spending more and more of his free time working in the hospital. About a week ago he began spending all of his time there, only coming home to sleep. Then two days ago my father sent what was left of the men home for the night, while he continued work as usual. We don't know much of what happened at this point. We found him in the basement after hours of searching when he didn't come home that night. We don't know why he went down there or what happened to him. When we located him he was covered in blood from head to toe, none of which was his, muttering to himself about ghosts and 'treatments'. We took him to the hospital and were told that he had a fever of 104 and pneumonia. He still hasn't spoken a full sentence since we found him and he has this crazed look in his eye. My mother is beside herself in worry and won't leave his bedside. Please Shibuya-san, will you help my family? You are our last resort."_

_Mai knew that look in Naru's eye, he was definitely interested in this case. She sincerely hoped that he would take it. SPR had been dead the last couple of days and it was obvious this guy needed their help. She looked at her boss and awaited his answer. Naru stood up and looked at Shinji, saying _

"_We will take your case. We will need a room for our base of operations and two rooms for sleeping. Leave your information with my assistant and we will be there early tomorrow morning."_

_Mai grinned in anticipation; at least her weekend didn't stand a chance of being boring. Naru disappeared into his office again as Shinji and Mai got to their feet. Mai handed him her notebook and a pen to write his information down on. He took it and began to write. He looked up at her and smiled._

_ "So," He started, "Since I'm giving you my number do you think I could get yours? I mean what's fair is fair, right?" he said as he dropped a wink, causing her to blush yet again._

_She reveled in how charming he seemed to be and giggled as she nodded her assent and wrote her number down on a different piece of paper and handed it to him. He handed her back her notebook with his information inside and headed for the door._

"_See you tomorrow Aburame-san." She said to his retreating figure. He stopped and turned towards her, putting his hand in his pockets, the seriousness his face held earlier was no longer there._

"_Please call me Shinji." He said._

"_Sure, as long as you call me Mai." She said as she grinned like an idiot. _

"_Okay Mai, see ya tomorrow." He called over his shoulder with a wave of his hand as he walked out the door. Leaving Mai stunned at the conversation that had just taken place. She went to Naru's office to see who she needed to call. She knocked and went in still grinning. Before she could even open her mouth to ask, Naru started talking._

"_Good, now that you're done fraternizing with our client you can go and call everyone and tell them to be here by 6:30 tomorrow morning." The grin slowly slipped from her face. Her mood quickly deflated at how snippy he had been. She walked out the door slightly shocked and feeling kind of hurt at how he had just acted towards her. But she shrugged it off as her jerk of a boss being his normal self. He always had to go and ruin her fun. Behind his closed office door Naru sighed and ran a hand through his hair. Displeased at himself for slipping up and dropping the façade for a few seconds. He hadn't meant to take his frustrations out on his gullible assistant but he couldn't stand the casual way that man had addressed Mai. The excessive flirting from the moment he got here was unnecessary as well. Naru could already tell this was going to be a long case indeed._

Mai yawned and twitched her nose in irritation at being woken up. She was having such a nice nap, she couldn't even remember falling asleep. She felt comfortable and warm. Glancing up she quickly realized why she was so comfortable. The blush could not be hidden on her face as she moved her head off of Naru's shoulder. He looked down at her his expression was unreadable to her. Just as she was about to apologize Naru spoke up for the first time since they had gotten into the van that morning.

"We're here." He stated.

And with that she glanced out the window to see that they really had arrived she hurried to open her door and get out of the van before she could embarrass herself any further.

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**This is my first multi-chapter fic. Hope you enjoyed it review if ya want.**

**Oh, and I do not own Ghost Hunt**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys! New chapter I know it's kind of shorter than the last one, but enjoy.**

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"Mai, Yasuhara, Miss Matsuzaki and Takigawa; I want you to begin bringing the equipment into the base. No one is to go wandering off on their own. Are you listening, Mai? This usually means you." Naru began handing out orders the moment they were shown to base.

Mai huffed in irritation. He was always such a jerk towards her. She had no clue how she had such a huge crush on the guy who made her life so difficult, but no matter how hard she tried she couldn't stay mad at his royal jerkiness, it was just impossible.

"John and Hara-san, I want you two to walk around and see if you sense anything." Naru finished before walking away.

If anyone wondered about his brisk attitude or unusual pairings, nobody said anything. They got to work right away, chatting among themselves. Mai hadn't realized it but she somehow had ended up walking down the corridor to base all by herself. She shrugged and kept moving. She nearly shrieked in surprise when her load was suddenly lightened. Shinji grinned at her around his now full arms.

"What's a pretty girl like yourself doing, carrying in this heavy equipment?" He asked her a humorous lilt to his voice.

Mai blushed a fair shade of scarlet and shrugged her shoulders. "That's my job. That and to make tea, of course." She said cheerfully.

He chuckled and they walked into base together. Shinji sat his haul down and turned towards Mai.

"Thanks, really. But you didn't have to do that Shinji-san." Mai said with a genuine smile for the young man.

Shinji stepped forward until he was directly beside her then he put his arm around her shoulders and leaned down to whisper in her ear.

"Really, it was my pleasure. It's not every day I get to spend time with a girl as adorable as you are. And please, just call me Shinji." His voice sent shivers down her spine and her mind reeling. Was he really flirting with her?

Mai, while used to guys flirting with her every so often, was caught off guard by Shinji's not-so-subtle ploys. The gesture was not unappreciated but she couldn't help but feel guilty for enjoying it. Her mind flashing to Naru, she immediately shook the thoughts from her head.

Just as he had gotten done whispering in her ear Yasu, Ayako and Monk walked in. Ayako's eyes nearly bugged out of her head, while Monk's face turned red in his efforts of trying not to explode. Yasu just grinned devilishly and sauntered forward. Mai was terrified at what she knew was about to be a very embarrassing moment.

"Tut, tut. I am very disappointed in you Mai. Naru turns his back for one second and you're already all over the first attractive guy you find. You're gonna break poor little Naru's heart with your loose morals. Besides, I don't think Bou-san could handle it if you went and got together with that guy." Yasu spoke with an air of false scorn and disdain.

Mai's face burned in embarrassment and Shinji removed his arm from around her petite frame. Just as Monk began to calm down Naru walked in to base with his usual holier-than-thou strut that he had down to perfection. He glanced at Mai and Shinji for a moment before moving on to tell the others what he wanted them to do. Lin walked in shortly afterwards and began hooking the equipment up, silent as usual. Shinji glanced at Mai, something glinting in his eyes that Mai could not name. He smiled but it didn't reach his eyes. He walked out the door with his hand raised in farewell over his shoulder.

Mai felt slightly harassed and very confused as she turned to find out what she needed to do. She was going to kill Yasu in the most painful way possible when this case was over. She stalked up to Naru and waited for him to finish speaking to Monk and Ayako.

He sent them off to take temperature readings and nearly sighed when he realized he still had to talk to Mai. He could hear the tail end of what Yasu had said from in the corridor. He had not been pleased when he had seen Mai and Shinji standing together. He didn't know why, but he didn't like that guy. He was by far too comfortable with his assistant and he had to be bad news. He decided he would watch him closely over the duration of the case. Until then he would just have to keep Mai close to be sure that she wouldn't fall victim to his charm. She was very gullible and he didn't need her being distracted during the case.

He squelched the unpleasant feeling in his stomach at the thought of Mai being with some stranger. Not that he really cared, after all she was just his assistant, he didn't care who she 'got together with' in words of Yasuhara.

"Mai," he said with his usual emotionless voice. "I want you to stop talking to the client in such a friendly way. It's un-business like and you will only get distracted from the case at hand. Also, tea. And take Yasuhara with you. Try not to get lost."

Mai moaned at the idea of making tea with Yasu there to harass her. She walked off before she could yell at Naru for insinuating that she acted in an un-businesslike way. She walked down the maze-like hallways with Yasu following behind her waiting for the right moment to pounce.

The old hospital still had some floors in-tact for the most part. There were only three floors though, that were still usable, while all the others and the basement were under construction. The kitchen and base were on the same floor, but on clear opposite ends of the hallway. They decided to make the bunker-like storage shed outside the hospital their place of residence while they were there.

They made it all the way to the kitchen before he decided to speak.

"Mai, I want you to promise me you won't pursue that guy. He's bad news. And as your friend and brother figure I don't want to see you get hurt." Yasu had seriousness to his face that was rare.

She sighed and hung her head. She felt like a small child who just got reprimanded for doing something she shouldn't have. She wanted to yell at Yasu and tell him he was wrong. Shinji was different. He was just too sweet to deceive her like how Yasu was implying. But she knew better than to argue with the eccentric teen.

"Okay Yasu." She mumbled just loud enough for him to hear over the whistling of the tea being done.

He grinned and snapped back to his usual carefree self. "Good, because I thought Naru was gonna strangle him. He has it bad for you Mai." Yasu said with renewed enthusiasm. Grinning like an idiot all the while.

Her face burned and she yelled at him to be quiet before pushing him out the door. Following closely behind with the tray of tea in her hands. Just as she was about to walk out she ran right into the door which had been open just seconds ago. She fell to the floor, tea flying everywhere. She got up and began to pound on the door.

"This isn't funny Yasu! Open the door!" She tried and failed to keep the fear from her voice. She couldn't help but hope that it really was Yasu's fault she was in this situation. But she knew as the temperature began to drop that it wasn't Yasu. She backed up until her back ran painfully into a cabinet. Yasu continuously pounding on the other side of the door trying to get to her.

The lights flickered then went out. Mai began to shake from the chilly air that surrounded her. She grabbed at the first thing her hands came into contact with. This just happened to be a broken shard of a tea-cup. It sliced into her palm and she gasped with pain. She heard the sound of something breathing down her neck and craned around. What she saw made her scream bloody murder then she passed out in a dead faint.

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**Thanks for the great reviews, follows etc., they meant a lot. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. It was kind of rushed but I don't have access to the computer too often but, I will try to update as often as I can.**

**Anyway, review if ya want.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys sorry for the long wait I was grounded for a time then my computer had to be fixed anyway many apologies for the wait. I hope you like the chapter, it was kind of rushed and I had a fit of writers block through out it. I also apologize for it being so short. I am working on making my writing more detailed. Hopefully it's decent enough, so happy reading.**

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Mai peeled her eyes open to find herself in someone's arms, her surrounding unfamiliar. She began to panic before she realized that she was dreaming. She had grown accustomed to these dreams quite some time ago, as well as the man who usually accompanied her through said dreams. Gene was a carbon copy of Naru in looks and sometimes even his mannerisms. But, in personality they were polar opposites and for that Mai was grateful. She didn't think she could handle Naru being in these dreams with her, they were already stressful enough.

Mai lifted her head to try to gain her bearings and to get more information from the dream itself. Strong arms gripped her tightly as she jostled around.

"Shhh, Nojiko. I'm taking you back to your room before they find you again. I've told you before not to go out by yourself at night. This hospital isn't safe when you're alone. Please, next time just stay in bed. Please, for me?"

The boy holding Nojiko was tall with long brown hair and deep hazel eyes. From his tone Mai could tell that he cared deeply for the girl whose memories she was reliving. She also decided that they were in the same hospital the team was investigating. The nursing station she had noticed earlier stood out to her in her dream.

"Sheen," Nojiko whispered, "I'm cold."

"It's okay, we're almost there. Once we get back you can get warm under the covers, okay?" Sheen whispered back to her a grim framing his face.

Nojiko nodded and leaned back into his arms. The pair continued farther on down the hall until they reached a doorway on the left. Sheen pushed the door open with his shoulder and walked across the room to the lone bed. He shifted Nojiko in his arms so he could pull the covers back and place her in bed, tucking her in gently.

At this point, Mai was back in her own body watching the dream from the sidelines. She glanced to her right and found that Gene was standing there patiently waiting for her to notice him. She grinned in greeting and he smiled back as he pointed to the ongoing dream in front of them, reminding her to pay attention.

"Okay, Nojiko I have to go now. Please stay in bed this time. I might not be the one to find you the next time you decide to go exploring in the middle of the night.," Sheen sighed "I don't know what I would do if you got hurt again." Sheen told her in hushed tones as he ran his hand across her forehead removing the hair from her eyes.

Sheen turned to walk out the door but found that he couldn't as Nojiko was gripping his sleeve in her hand. She looked up at his silently pleading for him to stay with her. Her face was drawn into a frown that Sheen appeared not to be able to resist.

"Fine," Sheen sighed accepting defeat easily, "But only until you fall asleep."

Nojiko smiled and nodded her head in compliance and moved over so Sheen could crawl in next to her. He removed his shoes and jacket and got in bed beside her. She leaned in closer to him and laid her head against his chest as if she were used to this routine. She sighed happily as he ran his hands through her hair humming while he did so. She closed her eyes and soon she was asleep, snoring quietly into his shoulder.

Sheen leaned forward and kissed her on the forehead pulling away quickly as he silently detached himself from her embrace. He whispered a quick "I love you." and slipped out of the bed. Tucking her back into the nest of blankets to ensure she stayed warm. He slipped on his shoes and slung his jacket back on as he walked to the door. He glanced back at Nojiko's sleeping form one last time before he closed the door behind him.

Mai turned to Gene in confusion as the room faded to black, leaving the duo on their own. Mai could not make hide or hair of what the dream had to do with the case and had several questions for the young man beside her.

"Gene, how was this dream relevant to the case?" Mai asked, her curiosity getting the best of her.

"It is a warning. You are in danger the longer you stay here. Be careful, Mai."

Mai shivered at his tone, realizing that he sounded a lot like Naru when he was telling her to be careful. She just giggled to herself, but didn't say anything else.

She also wondered who Nojiko was and who Sheen was to her. They seemed very close and Sheen appeared to be protective of her. Mai did not know if they were a couple or if they were siblings. Whether they were good friends or if Sheen worked in the hospital and just took a liking to her. She also wanted to know what he meant when he told her that she wasn't safe on her own.

Before she could pose any more questions at Gene she was shaken violently awake but a pair of rough hands.

"Mai, Mai! You need to wake up now! Quit scaring us like this. It's time to get up." Yasu was pale and visibly shaken. "Naru's here and he's smiling at Masako. You should probably get up and stop them before the flirting gets to be too much to bear." Yasu attempted to wake her up by unusual means.

He had just managed to get the door open to find Mai passed out on the floor, pale as a sheet. He also noticed she had managed to slice her palm open on the shard of a tea cup, living up to her 'danger magnet' personality. Yasu looked up from his spot on the floor to see Ayako and Monk fighting to get in the door at the same time, each yelling at the other to move out of the way.

"Uh." Mai mumbled from the floor, drawing everyone's attention to her effectively quieting the roar of voiced.

Ayako extracted herself from the door and rushed over to Mai, kneeling down to feel her pulse. Monk was right behind her. Concern was written all over their faces. Masako and John were the next through the kitchen door glancing around at the damage that had been done.

"John, can you get me a first aid kit of some sort?" Ayako asked John as she examined Mai's still bleeding hand. John nodded and searched through the cabinets for the kit.

Upon finding said kit he handed it to her and briefly nodded at her word of thanks. He moved aside to stand by Masako. Naru and Lin stood in the doorway watching the scene unfold with looks of indifference on their faces. To the untrained eye Naru appeared as if he could care less about Mai's current condition but to one who has known Naru as long as Lin has, you could tell by the slight narrowing of his eyes he was worried about the girl on the floor.

"She will be fine; she just needs some rest and sleep. She will probably wake up with a headache, though." Ayako said after wrapping Mai's hand staunching the blood flow.

"Alright, Takigawa and John take her back to the room and somebody stay with her until she wakes up." Naru directed like he was born to give orders.

Monk and John nodded as Monk leaned down and picked her up as if she weighed nothing. They disappeared out the door and Ayako followed them out, planning to stay with Mai. Yasu and Masako soon followed leaving Naru and Lin alone in the kitchen.

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**Hope you enjoyed reading it, and thanks for the follows/likes/reviews, they are much appreciated. I also keep forgetting to add that I do not own Ghost Hunt and this disclaimer goes for the first two chapters as well. I'm not sure when I will be able to update but hopefully it will be soon. Thanks for being patient and drop a review if ya want.**

**~Felouis**


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry for the long wait. This chapter is not the best and was rushed but I hope you enjoy regardless.**

**Psssst, I don't own Ghost Hunt.**

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Mai rolled onto her side suddenly awakened by the loud snores that permeated the room she shared with Masako and Ayako. She glanced at the old couch by the wall to see Monk and Ayako fast asleep. Mai had to stifle her squeals at seeing Ayako leaning on Monk with her head on his shoulder. Despite the fact that they argued a lot, Mai though they would make a lovely couple. Try telling them that though.

Mai quickly and quietly got out of bed and stretched out her achy limbs. Her hand hurt where she had cut it and she had quite the headache. She stumbled into the bathroom to wash her face and came out feeling just a bit better than before. A quick glance at the two lovebirds showed that they were far from waking up any time soon. Mai then proceeded to slip her shoes on and make her way out the door to get to base.

Mai was walking along a corridor to get to the steps that would take her to the floor the base was on when suddenly she was grabbed around the waist and swung around. She was about to scream bloody murder when she was just as suddenly put back on her feet facing her assailant. She exhaled in relief when she saw that it was just Shinji who was grinning at her broadly, clearly pleased that he succeeded in terrifying her.

"Shinji! You scared the crap out of me!" Mai all but shouted at him.

She lightly slapped his arm and went to turn away but found her movement was restricted. His hands were gripping her hips where they had settled after he had picked her up. She glanced up to see that he was looking at her strangely. Mai felt a chill slip down her spine as she suddenly wished that she had not left for base on her own. Shinji just grinned at her and slowly backed her up against the wall.

Mai was beginning to really worry. Something was definitely off about him. He had yet to say anything to her at all and his eyes looked dark and withdrawn. Not their usual bright green color. If she had to guess she'd say he was possessed but all she was concerned about was getting out of his hold and running to the safety of Naru and the base. Mai opened her mouth to scream for her boss when Shinji roughly pushed himself against her and then continued to press his lips to hers. She squirmed and thrashed about but, his hold never ceased. She attempted to kick him in the shin when he stepped back and slapped her across the face, hard.

Mai pressed her hand against her burning cheek and felt hot tears begin to spill out of her eyes as she slid down the wall. She looked up at the sound of running feet and watched in gratitude as her savior in black raced around the corner.

"Mai!" Naru shouted when he saw the state she was in.

Mai thought his timing could not have been better as she was already fed up with this ghost possessing Shinji and tormenting her at all stops and turns.

"You are just like her. Just like Nojiko. You should know better than to be with him! I'm the one who cared for her and she betrayed me for that little punk, Sheen, and I can tell you'd just as quickly do the same with your Naru. You'll pay just you wait." Shinji hissed out before he collapsed on the floor. He looked paler than usual and had a layer of sweat on his forehead.

Mai just sat where she was until Naru got to her. He stooped down to her level and put a hand on her shoulder, still not very good at comforting others. Mai stiffened and shrunk back farther into the wall at his touch. Naru frowned at the situation he was currently placed in. He had no idea what just went on between Mai and that guy but, he did know Mai was very upset and she was his first priority. He scooped her up in his arms not even sparing a second glance at the boy on the floor and began walking her back to base where he knew the others would be able to calm her down so he could ask her what had happened.

Naru looked down and saw that she was staring up at him with tears shimmering in her eyes. She turned away from him and whimpered like a small child. The art of solace was still lost on Naru so he just continued on as fast as he could to the base.

Naru turned one last corned and came upon the door to base he pushed it open with his shoulder and carried Mai in. He then proceeded to deposit her on the sofa where, as he predicted John, Yasu and Masako were instantly next to her asking her if she was alright. He also noticed that Ayako and Monk were still absent even though the last he heard they were both waiting for Mai to wake up. He glanced at Lin who looked at him quizzically. Naru sat down and began reading one of his files waiting for Mai to compose herself.

Mai glanced at Naru and attempted to hide the blush that was creeping up on her. She still couldn't believe that not only had Shinji, a boy she had just met; albeit a possessed boy, kissed her but, Naru had carried her all the way back to base. Shocked was just one of the emotions she was feeling at the moment. She attempted to pull herself together quickly because she could tell Naru was waiting to hear what had happened.

Mai cleared her throat and began to sit up. Naru put his file down and Lin turned his attention towards her as well, ready to take notes on what she had to say. She looked around and realized that the others were waiting on pins and needles for her to speak as well. Mai took a deep breath and started with her dream and told them about the strange relationship between Nojiko and Sheen. She then told them about Genes warning without letting them know it was him who had told her. Mai advance with her story as she told them about being caught by Shinji in the hall. She got choked up when she told them all about his kiss and how he had slapped her. She finished by repeating what the ghost who had possessed him had told her.

Mai looked straight at Naru when she was done and waited for him to say something. She wasn't disappointed.

"Mai, for the continuation of this case I want you to be with someone else at all times. I also want you to stay away from our client for the time being, he has a great chance of being possessed again and I don't need you in any more danger than you already attract to yourself." Mai was slowly getting more irate with her insensitive boss and was about to give him a piece of her mind when he asked her a question she was not expecting.

"Where are Miss Matsuzaki and Takigawa?" Naru asked coldly.

"Well, you see, they sort of fell asleep while waiting for me to wake up. I thought they looked to peaceful to wake up so I left them to sleep…" Mai trailed off nervously.

Naru just sighed and went back to reading his file. The others ignored their cold leader and began talking to Mai again. Naru quickly lost patience with their loud antics and glared up at them.

"Mai, tea." He called out in a monotonous voice. "Take Yasu with you."

Mai just rolled her eyes and got up off the sofa, dragging Yasu with her. They walked to the door where they walked right into Ayako and Monk who both looked more than slightly ruffled. Ayako was blushing a deep red and Monk refused to look at Mai.

"Did you two have a good nap?" Mai asked innocently with a grin plastered on her face.

Ayako just huffed and dashed to the safety of the sofa while Monk just laughed nervously and scratched the back of his head. Mai giggled and pulled Yasu with her into the hall to go make tea.

* * *

**Again really sorry for the wait and I hope you guys liked the chapter and thanks for the messages. They helped remind me this story still existed. Writers block really hit me as well as all the school work so thats my excuse. Drop a review and tell me what ya think. seriously I thrive on feedback. Until next time.**

**~Felouis**


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